In the rescue mission in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, Mr Munadi, a journalist working as an interpreter with Mr Farrell, also died along with two other Afghan civilians during a firefight between Nato forces and the Taliban.

Mr Farrell, 46, had travelled there to investigate an air strike last Friday on two hijacked fuel tankers when he was kidnapped.

The New York Times website reported he phoned the foreign editor of the newspaper at about 0030 BST (2330 GMT) on Wednesday and said: "I'm out! I'm free." Mr Farrell said he also called his wife.

ANALYSIS

Chris Morris, BBC News, Kabul

There is concern among the Afghan media community that Stephen Farrell was rescued unharmed, but Sultan Munadi was killed.

The head of the Afghan Independent Journalists' Association, Rahimullah Samandar, said the operation showed international forces did not care about Afghan journalists.

Now the Afghan Information Minister has called for an inquiry into the circumstances of Sultan Munadi's death.

In 2007 an Italian journalist was released from captivity, but his Afghan colleague Ajmal Naqshbandi was beheaded by the Taliban after the Afghan government refused to release Taliban prisoners in exchange.

The international media rely heavily on Afghan journalists to cover areas of the country which are too dangerous for foreigners to visit.

But in this most recent case, of course, Stephen Farrell had traveled with his colleague to Kunduz where they were kidnapped.

In a telephone call to his newspaper, he said he and his captors had heard helicopters approach before the rescue.

"We were all in a room, the Talibs all ran, it was obviously a raid," Mr Farrell told the New York Times. "We thought they would kill us. We thought, should we go out?"

Mr Farrell said he ran outside with Mr Munadi, who the AFP news agency reports was a 34-year-old man working in Afghanistan while on a break from university studies in Germany.

"There were bullets all around us. I could hear British and Afghan voices," he continued.

The correspondent said father-of-two Mr Munadi advanced shouting: "Journalist! Journalist!" But the translator was shot and collapsed.

Mr Farrell said he did not know whether the shots had been fired by militants or their rescuers.

"Greatest of courage"

He said he dived into a ditch and after a minute or two, shouted: "British hostage!"

Mr Farrell then heard British voices telling him to come over and as he did, saw the body of Mr Munadi.

Mr Brown hailed the soldier who died for displaying the "greatest of courage", adding: "His bravery will not be forgotten."

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